Cargo screening is a known major weakness in current aviation security systems. Traditional cargo screening solutions involve cutting open the shrink wrap around cargo pallets and performing a time-consuming trace screening, which is limited in the detection of explosives and the identification of anomalies within the palletized contents. Conventional X-ray solutions provide limited views for anomaly detection and are challenged in providing automated detection capabilities. Multi-view X-ray and pseudo/CT (Computer Tomography) approaches are also limited in anomaly and automated detection and tend to be cumbersome, costly, and have limited adoption. Electron beam solutions are also limited in the amount of power available for scanning and are prohibitively expensive.
While three-dimensional CT technology has been one of the most effective technologies for scanning, imaging and automating threat detection in aviation security, conventional use in scanning cargo is limited, inefficient, and costly.